Chapter 7 The Seducing

"So you ran over here just to gloat?" Lillian asked, finding it laughable.

"The man I ditched that you're still clinging to? You don't need to act like you're his wife here. You won't be his last, and I wasn't the first. If you've got time to nitpick with me, maybe try keeping up that innocent, sweet-girl act in front of him."

"You!"

Lillian felt her head getting hotter from changing clothes in the cold air conditioning. She couldn't care less who Conrad ended up with; she just wanted to go home, take some medicine, and sleep.

"Lillian!" Evelyn suddenly grabbed her arm, jerking her back.

Lillian was already feeling lightheaded, and the force sent her straight into the wall. She hunched over, her whole body throbbing with pain.

"Are you crazy?" Lillian glared at her.

"Don't think I don't know why you're here today—to seduce Conrad. Who are you trying to fool with this act?" Evelyn raised her hand to slap her, but Lillian caught her wrist firmly.

"What do you think you're doing?" Alice suddenly appeared, pulling Evelyn behind her. "Lillian, Evelyn is Mr. Conrad's girl. She's not someone you can mess with."

Lillian looked at her with a half-smile. "You think I haven't messed with Mr. Conrad already? What difference does one more woman make?"

Evelyn, a bit scared of Alice, immediately softened her tone, pouting, "Assistant Alice, I didn't mean it—I just tugged her a little by accident."

Alice smiled kindly. "I know. Go see Mr. Conrad now; the dress needs to be made to fit your exact measurements. Don't bother with her; she's not in your league."

A glimmer of triumph flashed in Evelyn's eyes as she quickly left to find Conrad. After all, he mattered a thousand times more than that woman. Evelyn was at least clear about that. With Conrad in her corner, a hundred Lillians wouldn't be able to scare her off.

Watching Evelyn's quickening steps, Alice smirked and said slowly, "You might not know this, but Mr. Conrad treats Evelyn far better than he ever treated you back then."

Back then?

The memory of her old self crossed Lillian's mind—innocent, clueless about men, eager to please cheaply. He'd called her boring and spineless, leaving her waiting all day at the Taylor Mansion. Even after all these years, he still hadn't brought her out in public. He'd only occasionally sent jewelry, money, and a house on certain holidays.

"Evelyn's grateful, content—she's not like you, trying to grab more at every chance like some greedy little leech," Alice continued.

Expressionless, Lillian replied, "Who doesn't want a bigger paycheck? If Mr. Conrad's broke, maybe he should stop pretending he can keep a woman. Or maybe it's you who's just eaten up with jealousy because you can't have him." 

Alice hit a nerve, and with a cold laugh, she shot back. "No matter what tricks you pull, Mr. Conrad will never take you back. Traitors all end up the same way, Lillian. Your time's over. Now, the Taylor Mansion has a brand-new mistress."

With that, Alice strutted off with a self-satisfied smirk.

Just then, Lillian's phone buzzed in her pocket. Grace's number flashed on the screen, her voice sharp as ever.

"Forget it! That $600,000 you wired won't do a thing now. The hospital says they've been bought out. They're forcing your grandma out, and now they're demanding 2 million!"

"What? Who bought it? Wasn't it owned by the Thomas family?"

"Who cares! That's what they're saying," Grace snapped. "It's apparently an order from the Brown Family Group. You know, from the top. They're talking takeover!"

The Brown Family Group.

Conrad! That snake!

She knew the Thomas family and Brown families were as thick as thieves. What takeover? This was clearly just Conrad putting the squeeze on her.

She'd known it was too good to be true, him leaving her alone. Of course, he was waiting for her to fall right into his trap.

Lillian glanced over at the VIP room. She knew Alice wouldn't let her anywhere near Conrad.

"Lillian, time to change," called a voice.

She stepped into the dressing room, thought for a second, then bit her lip and took a quick photo of herself.

At that moment, Conrad idly toyed with his phone.

Evelyn, wearing the dress pinned to her size, stepped out shyly, and Janet gushed, "Evelyn, you look like a goddess!" 

Evelyn cast a bashful glance at Conrad.

But his gaze was distant; his phone vibrated, and he casually opened it.

A photo popped up on the screen, with the most provocative part cleverly obscured yet still tantalizing.

He knew all too well the allure this body held for him, and how effortlessly tempting this woman could be.

[Sorry, wrong recipient.]

Conrad narrowed his eyes at the message she sent.

Evelyn waited expectantly for his reaction, but Conrad suddenly stood up. "As long as you like it."

Evelyn looked puzzled. "Conrad, where are you going?"

He didn't answer, shutting the door behind him as he left.

Lillian looked at her phone, seeing the message marked as read. She wasn't sure what Conrad would think.

This dress was even harder to take off than the last one; with the hidden clasps in the back, she struggled to peel it off, and it got stuck at her waist. Just as she was about to call for a sales assistant—

The door suddenly swung open, and a tall figure barged in, lifting her skirt in one swift motion. She was abruptly pressed against the mirror, the cold surface making her shiver as Conrad, already close to her, stripped her expertly from the fitted dress, pressing her firmly to the glass.

"You sent me that? Hmm? Wrong recipient?" His voice was laced with amusement. "So, who was it meant for?"

In the reflection, his wicked eyes met hers as he bit her ear.

Lillian shivered, biting her lip to keep her composure. "It was just…sent by mistake."

His hand gripped her waist before tilting her chin up, tracing her tongue as his cool eyes watched her discomfort.

In a rare moment of clarity, Lillian asked, "You bought the hospital where my grandma was hospitalized? What's your deal?"

He smirked. "Is that so? I had no idea."

Not believing a word, she grabbed his hand. "She can't stop treatment. Let her go."

Conrad sized her up. "Letting her go is easy enough—but why should I?" He tilted his head, smug. "If you're my woman, so helping you makes sense. But if you're not…why should I take a loss?"

Lillian bit her lip. "You just haven't gotten bored of me yet, right?"

Conrad's face darkened, but he said nothing as Evelyn and Alice's voices echoed from outside.

"Where could Conrad have gone?"

"Well, it wouldn't be to Lillian. Evelyn, you need to hold onto Conrad—he's so good to you, and probably loves you a lot. You're lucky! I'm counting on you."

"Janet, stop!"

"Assistant Alice, tell me I'm wrong!"

Lillian could hardly believe Conrad was still trying to remove her dress at a time like this. "Don't!" she whispered.

"Who's there?" Alice's voice sounded just outside the dressing room as her hand touched the doorknob, about to push it open...